


Pressure Points

by Dark_Shadows_01



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Anger, Banter, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Healing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:46:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25316290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Shadows_01/pseuds/Dark_Shadows_01
Summary: The Games were exhausting and could bring out the worst in competitors. The tension and stress of the bloodsport always added pressure onto their emotional triggers.  Lifeline struggles through her feelings about Bangalore's past associations but maybe in time she could see they weren't so different in the end.
Relationships: Bangalore | Anita Williams/Lifeline | Ajay Che
Comments: 14
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for clicking, I wrote a thing that I thought was going to turn out light hearted and then I realised with a bloodsport that was wishful thinking!

“A ain’t scared of much but losing...that would be a drag.” And what a drag the last games were.

Ajay Che, 24, a fierce advocate and medic for the Frontier Corps, sighed from her bed. She hated losing, she wasn’t in the games for the title. She was here because Ajay could use the ludicrous prize money to heal the people who really needed it, regardless of their allegiance in the previous war. 

Well she was supposed to be impartial, she was a medic after all but at the same time, the war had forced her to add combat to the beginning of her title. Ajay wasn’t a stranger to death, she had ended as many lives as she had healed and she was very good at it. Another sigh of frustration left her as she replayed the last games. Her team had been caught between two squads, a usual occurrence considering how many teams entered the games but one Legend in particular had left a bad taste in her mouth: Bangalore. 

The cocky ex IMC soldier had rushed her squad and with the cross fire, Ajay’s team had gone down far too easily. All of the Legends had their signature finishing moves but Bangalore had pulled one on her in the middle of a hot zone. 

“Looks like I got the best of you today!” The arrogant soldier had quipped before firing a smoke grenade at her face. Ajay rubbed her forehead as pain ghosted across it. She wasn’t sure why she was smarting after that move, it’s not like she hadn’t enjoyed erasing other Legends with flair whenever the opportunity presented itself. 

Ajay’s communication device chirped and she opened up the holographic feed to see that Gibraltar had posted pictures of his team’s celebratory party. Next to the laughing Legend was a smirking Wraith and a winking Bangalore. If she wasn’t annoyed at the soldier Ajay may have appreciated how good she was looking in her burgundy shirt. 

“Urgh, come on Che we’ll show her next time,” Ajay grumbled as she pulled the duvet over herself to try and sleep. 

\---------------

Ajay’s mood had failed to pick up as midday had rolled in because of course she couldn’t sleep. It was a well known fact that you shouldn’t go to bed angry but Ajay was getting angry that she was angry in the first place. The combat medic grabbed her headphones and water bottle and made her way to the Legends’ training grounds to see if she could work through her frustrations. It wouldn’t do her good if she went to the clinic now. A clear headspace was needed if she had to patch anyone up and the Outlands had no shortage of patients. 

The Legends were all housed in the same complex, all with their own apartments but it meant that bumping into the others was always likely. Ajay quickly found the lift and hit the button for the gym, glad that no one else was around. The lift had barely descended before it slowed and opened its doors. A woman joined her wearing a tight purple dress and her hair was up in a messy bun. Someone had slept with a fan. Not uncommon but Ajay had made a point of not getting involved with her fans. It just seemed like trouble. 

“It’s Lifeline right?” The woman spoke, annoying Ajay immediately.

“That’s me.”

“You patched up my brother really well after he thought he could win the games a few months back,” Ajay chastised herself for getting annoyed, the woman shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of her bad mood. 

“That’s no problem, is he keeping outta trouble?” Ajay continued, forcing herself to participate more positively. The woman was pretty with her dark skin, soft black hair falling out of her bun and had a lovely figure. It wasn’t hard to see why one of the Legends had brought her home. 

“Hardly but I can’t be mad at him, he got me into the party last night and I got to meet my favourite Legend...uh no offence!” She added quickly but Ajay waved it off politely. 

“Well a hope your Legend was nice to you,” Ajay glanced at the floors, this lift was taking its time. 

With a soft ding, the lift opened for the exit to the complex, “Oh Bangalore was more than nice. Her name fits her really well!” The woman giggled as she practically skipped out of the lift, leaving Ajay with a fresh wave of annoyance. 

Of course it was Bangalore. 

\-----------

Anita Williams, 35, ex IMC soldier, turned Sergeant during the war. It was in her blood really, her family was highly regarded within the IMC and Anita was born with strong shoulders, happy to carry their reputation with pride. Even though the war was over, Anita had lost her brother on her last mission and the lack of interest from the IMC to recover either of them had left the proud soldier with doubts over her previous associations. Now she was having to use her training and superior talent for killing to win her way back to her family. Hopefully they would have more information about the state of IMC and more importantly her brother. 

On the bedside table her communication device vibrated. Anita groaned as she stretched over for it, her body reminding her of last night’s victory. It was Gibraltar sending her some pictures from the party. Anita chuckled as there were a couple of snaps of her and the cute fan she had brought home. The soldier hadn’t expected to find the games and all the perks that came with it so enjoyable but Anita couldn’t help it. She was good and it was exciting to have skilled rivals to test herself against. 

Anita was pleased at the outcome of the last games and who wouldn’t be happy being Champion? Her team worked well together and it surprised the soldier at how well they got on. From the growing interaction they had had Anita was aware of Wraith’s trouble with her memory and it seemed to have IMC tied in with it. The soldier knew the IMC wasn’t universally liked, hell if they were, there wouldn't have been a war and she accepted that a lot of things were above her pay grade and rank. So who was she to say that there wasn’t crazy shit going on in the research and development labs? Her current situation granted her the option of exploring her previous employer more thoroughly and the more she uncovered, the more her stomach twisted at the thought of losing her brother in their name.

Another Legend that had made her opinion on the IMC known was Lifeline. Anita smirked as she remembered eliminating the combat medic in the games. The younger woman’s eyes were full of anger at her nonchalant finisher in the middle of a firefight but Anita couldn't help herself. Lifeline was so easy to wind up and the soldier found Lifeline’s reactions just a bit too cute. Especially when the medic pouted and crinkled her nose, that would really highlight the splash of freckles across her cheeks. Anita stretched out smiling at the thought and finally rolled out of bed. Maybe a light gym session would help freshen her up. 

\------------

Sweat dripped from Ajay’s nose as she powered through her weights routine, breathing eveningly to help her body complete the set. Ajay enjoyed being balanced in her exercise, to her, it didn’t make sense to focus on one set of skills. Her body needed to be light and nimble but strong enough to move people from stretcher to hospital cots or pull teammates behind cover to heal them. The burn in her quads was a good distraction from her previous frustrations as she worked out on the leg press. Wraith had challenged her close range combat skills with some sparring which Ajay appreciated but she had declined an invitation to run laps with Octane. There was no way she was going to keep up and anyway she was going to cool down with some flexibility training after this set. With shaking control, Ajay gently relaxed the weights down and wiped her station. She turned to move towards the studio rooms for the final section of her routine but a scowl covered her face as Bangalore entered the weights area. 

“Ajay! How’s your head?” The tall woman smirked at her, Ajay wished she could wipe the smile off of the soldier’s face right now. All of her good energy left her and Ajay couldn’t remember taking a loss this hard before. 

“I’ve had no complaints,” Anita raised her eyebrows at that one and Ajay felt smug at catching her off guard.

“Didn’t realise you spent that much time on your knees,” Ajay bristled at the response.

“Don’t go losing too much sleep over it or your fans might get bored of you.” Another raised eyebrow from the soldier.

“You sound jealous or maybe hopeful?” Anita winked at her and Ajay groaned in exasperation, why was Anita getting her to her so much?

“Jump off will ya?” Ajay grumbled as she sulked away from the soldier, this bad mood was determined to stay with her. 

Anita felt disappointed as she watched Ajay walk away from her, usually Ajay could hold her own but the smaller woman had looked tired. Anita chuckled to herself as she collected her weights, it wasn’t like she had slept much either. 

\------------

Ajay moved around the various patients checking IV drips, patching up minor wounds here and there in between emergency surgeries. The team of medics here were good, co-operative and were always on hand to help anyone coming through their doors. However the major pressure point of the clinic was their financial situation. It was one gaping wound that refused to heal and it was made more apparent if Ajay couldn’t contribute as much of her Apex winnings. They were in the middle of a surgery, the injured woman on the table had gotten tangled up in the violence that littered the fringes of the city, where the poorest would fight over resources. The woman had lost a lot of blood but they had managed to remove the bullets from her abdomen and stop the internal bleeding. 

“We need more transfusions or she ain’t gonna make it,” Ajay ordered as she closed the last of the wound. Unfortunately she didn’t have access to the revival serum they used in the games, that was kept top secret and her D.O.C was limited when it came to pumping extra blood into someone. 

“Dr Che we won’t have enough for the other patients if we use any more.” A nurse spoke hesitantly. 

“Did we not run a blood drive?” Ajay’s brows knitted together in confusion. 

“We couldn’t as we didn’t have enough money this time…” The nurse trailed off. Ajay’s shoulders slumped, they didn’t have the money because she didn’t win. Bangalore’s face popped up in her mind. 

“Keep the blood for the other patients.” Ajay sighed as she left the theatre. 

\-------------

The drop ship’s thrusters were loud and the slightest hint of turbulence would jostle the competitors inside. Lifeline moved onto the floor of her cabin to stabilize herself and waited for the teams to be announced. In between the larger Apex Games, where they competed as a squad of three, the Legends also had to participate in smaller games in duos. Lifeline was feeling sluggish under the weight of her frustrations and recognised the pattern was throwing her into a rut. The Games were exhausting and could bring out the worst in competitors. The tension and stress of the bloodsport always added pressure onto their emotional triggers. 

“Squad 25: Bangalore and Lifeline.” The medic looked up at the sound of her name, she hadn’t heard the role call start but she heaved herself up and begrudgingly stood next to the soldier. 

“Get ready to stitch ‘em up!” Bangalore yelled at Lifeline presumably making a pun in her direction as their platform was lowered over the map. 

“Get ready...today’s not gonna be easy.” Lifeline replied as her frustrations boiled, how many had she stitched up because of the IMC? 

“This looks like a good LZ!” Lifeline focused on the area Bangalore had pinged, the water treatment zone, and nodded. They jumped. The ground rushed to meet them as they landed. Bangalore immediately opened the supply bin in front of them and emptied the contents. Lifeline exhaled in annoyance but moved to the next one and stocked up. 

“Enemies ahead,” Bangalore’s voice drew her attention and Lifeline heard the footsteps running up the stairs her teammate was in. Following closely behind, they pincered Pathfinder between them in the long corridor. Bangalore had taken some shots but was swiftly topping up her health as they looked out for Pathfinder’s teammate. Movement on the level below caught her eye and Lifeline jumped down, it was a new contestant struggling to apply optics to his gun. Lifeline sighed and put an end to his Apex experience. 

“Nice that’s the whole squad,” Bangalore praised as she approached Lifeline’s side as the medic stared at the grey death box, “You good Lifeline?” 

“Yeah, this is just how it is. Let’s head out.” Lifeline jogged towards the jump tower and zipped up. Bangalore remained silent as she followed the medic, she was unsure of how to address Lifeline’s mood. The games got to everyone in different ways, maybe it was just one of those days for Lifeline. 

As she touched down within the ring, Lifeline heard multiple shots from the cluster of buildings just ahead. As soon as she heard Bangalore cutting her jets to land, they set out to stalk their next kills. Caustic burst from the door opposite them, looking for a moment to breathe but he was fresh out of luck as Bangalore’s Flatline ended his experiment. Lifeline stepped over the scientist’s death box to investigate the building but as she rounded the corner his remaining gas trap hissed angrily. Lifeline spluttered as her lungs stung. She could barely defend herself from whoever was now draining her health. 

She was down, struggling to breathe and waiting for someone to either save or finish her off. Not much improvement from her last games Lifeline lamented. The only thing she could hear now was hurried footsteps searching for her. 

“This is not the time to be down on your knees, Lifeline.” The medic jumped as her blurry vision made out the soldier’s shape just next to her. She jerked as she felt arms pulling her close. 

“Whoa hey it’s ok, I got you.” Lifeline managed to control her resistance towards her saviour, even though something was biting at her not to accept the help. The clinking of metal just above her came into view as Bangalore fixed her up. Lifeline felt her wounds regenerate and her vision cleared up so she could read the one of the dogtags: Jackson Williams, IMC. 

IMC. Bangalore. They were one in the same, the pain and suffering of so many caused by the corrupt company and its loyalists. Lifeline’s heart was racing as Bangalore pulled her to her feet. How many times had Lifeline been near death because she was trying to save people from the IMC, how many bullets pierced her skin, how many times did those soldiers laugh as they killed her friends. Now here she was fighting with one, being saved by one but still being laughed at by one. 

Alarms, a warning, the ring was urging them on. Lifeline nodded a thanks but looked anywhere that wasn’t the IMC soldier. Ex IMC, a small voice whispered. Her past experiences were merging with her reality and Lifeline needed to focus. The prize money, she needed it, to save people, to redeem herself…

“We should go,” Bangalore spoke firmly, whatever was haunting Lifeline, she didn’t like the look of it. It reminded the soldier of how she was whenever she couldn’t fight off the anguish of leaving her brother behind. It was a dark, lonely place that she was well acquainted with. 

Looking out at the map, they had to cover a relatively large patch of open ground before they could hide in the canyons and with the ring moving it was likely other teams were making the same push. Bangalore pinged a location and they took off without another word. They were making good time before shots clipped their heels. Bangalore popped both of her smoke canisters to provide some cover for them. The canyons were right there. 

The sounds of shields cracking echoed in her ears as Lifeline looked at her vitals. It wasn’t hers. 

“I’m down!” Bangalore came crawling out of her smoke looking for cover. Lifeline stood there half turned towards the downed soldier but her body remained unmoving. 

“Lifeline! I need you!” Bangalore called out, her face was screwed up in pain. She had been hit with a Kraber, a nasty blow. “Lifeline?” The medic stood there. Her demons whispered to her that the medic had been here before. That it was no different from the time when she had been on the field and left wounded IMC soldiers to die, ignoring their calls for help. And in her current mental state she couldn’t separate Bangalore from them. 

She turned. Bangalore called out. She ran harder.


	2. Chapter 2

‘We need to talk.’

The letters burned in her eyes as Ajay reread them over and over from her bed. It was the very least she owed Bangalore but she couldn’t bring herself to reply, not yet. Tears pricked at the corners of her stinging eyes again. As soon as Ajay had left Bangalore behind, guilt became her new squadmate. She didn’t even make top 3, so Ajay didn’t even have the solace of the prize money to ease her conscience. Ajay groaned as her stomach churned again, it only had stress to eat as the medic couldn’t bring herself to tend to anything more than sipping water. 

Someone knocked at her door and Ajay felt fear clutching at her, please don’t let it be…

“Amiga! It’s Silva, open up!” Her fear released its grip just enough for her to open the door for her friend. His light frame fell into hers as he hugged her. 

“Where you been chica, it’s not like you to miss a chance to tell me to attend my hospital appointments!” He stood back looking at her. Ajay was tired, that was obvious but her vibe was all kinds of low. 

“Sorry I’m not feeling great,” was Ajay’s lame reply punctuated with a small sniffle. Octane pulled his friend, slowly, to the sofa and sat her down. She was looking how he felt whenever his prosthetics failed to sync up with him and he had to wait for Ajay to come save him from the crippling pain. 

“No worries Ajay, sometimes our demons catch up to us, even me! Heh! Let me fix you an Octane special!” Ajay’s lips turned up as Octane sprang from the sofa and started making tea and eggs. He really couldn’t keep still but she knew it was the pain mixed with his medication that kept him on edge. She wanted to tell him what was going on but she wasn’t sure where to start or even how to articulate it. 

Ajay’s stomach grumbled loudly as Octane set down the food in front of her and they laughed. Maybe she didn’t have to talk right now. The Speedster let Ajay eat, even though she was taking forever! He felt his communication device buzz and he pulled it out, reading the message. He jumped up again howling in joy.

“Ay Silva watch it!” As Ajay almost spilled her tea over his actions. 

“Sorry amiga but we just got invited to a party, Mirage’s, we gotta go!” 

“I dunno Silva, I’m not really in the best place rig-”

“That’s why you have to go! You know dancing always solves everything!” Octane interrupted her moping and Ajay sighed, he wasn’t going to let this slide. 

“I’ll go, if you go to the clinic,” Octane paused for a fraction of a second.

“You got it chica!” 

\--------------

Dummy and after dummy littered the firing range as Bangalore shot, punched and fragged her way through them with impeccable accuracy. 

“Does she know we only have a limited number of them yeah?” Mirage addressed Wraith as they overlooked the carnage from a safe distance. 

“Feel free to tell her that,” Wraith replied, Bangalore was now tearing through a group of dummies working on her close range attacks. 

“N, n, no way, I don’t want to die for real thanks. But I totally think you should talk to her. You can do that phase thing if she mistakes you for a dummy!” Wraith raised her eyebrow at the babbling holo-pilot. 

“No! I didn’t mean it like that, come on!” He flapped under her stare. Wraith faked a jab in his direction causing him to yelp something about protecting his face and vaulted into the training ground. 

Bangalore was breathing hard as she burst the last dummy’s head into the ground. The sound of sliding behind her stopped her from requesting more dummies and she turned to face Wraith. 

“Want to fight an actual person?” Bangalore chuckled and raised her fists at the invitation. She was shaking with exertion but if Wraith had noticed she didn’t mention it. 

“I was wondering when you were going to join me,” Wraith approached throwing a quick jab, cross, testing Bangalore’s defences. Still solid despite the shaking. The soldier pushed back following with a kick to the Voidwalker’s side but it was blocked by her shin. 

“Mirage is throwing a party,” Wraith switched up stance and landed a shin kick on Bangalore’s thigh. 

“I got the message,” Bangalore grunted at the dull pain in her leg and put some distance between them. 

“Are you coming?” Wraith asked as she waited for Bangalore to move again.

“Don’t feel like it,” Another exchange of fists, Wraith weaved through Bangalore’s reach and tried a body shot. Pain reverberated through her arm, a poor choice considering how tough Bangalore’s body was. Bangalore’s knee thrust itself into Wraith’s stomach and she dropped low, sweeping the Voidwalker’s legs from under her. Wraith rolled backwards onto her feet. It was her turn to put distance between them. 

“We could find you another cute fan to keep you warm.” Bangalore scoffed, why was everyone obsessed with her fans? “You know why I don’t want to go...she’ll be there.” Bangalore’s shoulders drooped slightly and Wraith took her chance. She delivered a swift uppercut and put the solder down on her ass with a kick to her chest. 

“We all live in the same building, train in the same place, it doesn’t matter where she’ll be.” Wraith looked down at Bangalore, hoping something would relight the fire in those brown eyes. 

“Why did she leave me behind?” Wraith sighed at the question, she recognised the anguish laced within it. It was all too similar to the way her own voice questioned the void in her mind. 

“That, you need to ask her for yourself.” Wraith extended a hand and Bangalore accepted it. 

“By the way Mirage told me to say we only have a limited amount of training dummies.” Wraith motioned to the prosthetic body parts surrounding them. 

“Oh? Is he leaving the games or something?” Bangalore withdrew the P2020 from her hip and aimed it just above the viewing platform behind them. A clean shot clattered off of the metal earning another yelp from the observing Legend and both of the fighters chuckled.

“I’ll think about the party.”

\---------------

‘We need to talk.’

“Come on Ajay,” Anita exhaled as she checked the message again. Still nothing. The medic was only two floors above her but the soldier didn’t want to corner Ajay just yet. Anita had left the complex and headed out to get her hair cut. Her side shave needed to be trimmed back and maybe the small head massage from the salon would relax her thoughts. Anita was hurt to say the least. Being left behind again was gnawing at her… was she that forgettable?

Anita entered the salon and her usual stylist was waiting for her. A friendly woman with her own undercut but she had changed her hair to green this time. Anita appreciated this particular hairdresser, they only exchanged small talk if the soldier initiated it and she was content enough to let her work in silence. As the warm water ran over her hair, Anita remembered the look in Ajay’s eyes before she ran off. The medic had looked torn, desperate; but over what, Anita wasn’t sure. The hairdresser was now massaging her scalp and Anita surrendered herself to it. Wraith’s comment about finding a cute fan replayed, maybe she did need another fan to distract her. 

The shaver was now buzzing by her ears. Anita mulled over the idea. Taking fans home was a pleasurable but temporary fix to the loneliness she felt during the night when memories of her last mission plagued her... did Ajay have something similar keeping her up at night? 

The hairdresser cleaned Anita of the excess hair and the soldier tipped her well in thanks. Anita loved the fresh feeling that came after a haircut. She ran her fingers over the patterns in her har, enjoying the soft bristles of the shave. As the soldier turned back towards the complex, she noticed the city’s clinic. Ajay’s clinic. Had it always been so close to her hairdressers? Anita paused, she hadn’t actually visited the clinic before. Curiosity moved her into the building and she was greeted with surprise by the receptionist. 

“Bangalore! Hello how can we help today?” The man was trying to hide his excitement as she approached the desk. Everything was clean but Anita could see the wear and tear on everything. The white walls looked tired rather than bright and the padding of the chairs in the waiting area had worn away. 

“Uh, it’s nothing medical, I just wanted to know more about the clinic?” Anita asked hesitantly. Hospitals weren’t her favourite place to be. 

“Of course! We are a completely free clinic. We offer almost any medical assistance the citizens and Legends may need.” 

“Everything is free? Where do you get your funding, from the local government?” Anita asked, trying to see further down the corridors. 

“Let me show you around Bangalore,” The man was by her side in an instant, guiding her through the packed wards. Anita had to stop herself from recoiling at all the filled cots, it was exactly like the IMC medical camps. Memories of stitches, IV drips and even surgery - some without anesthetic when resources were low in the field - being woven into her skin one too many times made her body itch. 

“We work from donations mostly. We always try to get local government involved but they want us to charge if they fund us. So Dr Che is our main patron.” 

“Dr Che? You mean Lifeline funds this place?” Anita pulled her gaze from the sounds of pains and soft whispers throughout the ward back to the receptionist, Raheem, his nametag read. 

“She uses the winnings from the Games to keep us going, which is incredible!” His smile dropped slightly, “But the games are so unpredictable. If she is having a bad run, it does affect how much we can do. We always try to ease the pressure for her by looking for other funding streams but no one is as passionate about helping as Dr Che.” Anita was impressed, Ajay was not only working for this place but she was running it in between the games. The soldier considered the medic’s latest rankings, she hadn’t made top 3 for a couple of the games - though they probably could have won the last one if Ajay hadn’t left her behind, Anita thought sourly. 

\-----------

‘Meet me at the park in an hour,’ 

Ajay rested her head against the shower wall savouring the warm water running over her body. She had finally mustered the strength to message the soldier back but her nerves were on fire as she played out different scenarios in her head: Would Bangalore be angry and yell at her, would she be understanding and sympathetic, would she even come at all? A few days had passed since the games, maybe she had taken too long and now they were never going to speak again. Ajay finished up in the shower and dried off, whatever was about to go down she would accept. Afterall, it was the medic’s fault they were in this predicament in the first place. 

She hadn’t visited the clinic either, that was another headache she had to face. Ajay hated making logical decisions on how resources were to be used as it meant she had to choose who should live or die. The medic dressed simply, not feeling worthy of her brightly coloured clothes and instead chose black jeans with a grey tank top. Practical, so it would work for the clinic too. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, Ajay headed out to the park and hopefully it was a step in the right direction to get through her latest mental spike. 

The park neared and Ajay took a deep breath as the tall frame of Bangalore stood out. She was wearing form fitting grey tracksuit bottoms and a black t-shirt. She was fiddling with her communication device in an attempt to not look nervous. Anita looked softer, non threatening unlike the IMC soldiers that were resurfacing in her mind’s eye. Had they ever spent time together outside of the ring before now? Ajay couldn’t linger on the thought for long as Bangalore noticed her. 

“Hey Anita,” Ajay cleared her throat as her voice was already catching, nerves setting alight again. Here we go. 

“Ajay.” Anita nodded curtly. Ajay wanted to disappear. She could feel the tension rolling off of the soldier’s body. 

“I, I’m really sorry about what I did to you Anita. In the last games. I shouldn’t have left you like that.” Tears welled in her eyes already and Ajay berated herself for how much her emotions were affecting her. 

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on Ajay? You're the nicest Legend here and I’ve seen you revive Revenant so I mustn't be worth shit to you.” Anita didn’t like seeing Ajay upset but she needed answers. The medic closed her eyes trying to fight off the urge to flee, she was embarrassed, ashamed of her actions. Anita was right, she had revived the murderous robot before. 

“I fought a lot of IMC soldiers before I became a Legend. The pain they were inflicting made me want to help in any way I could. So I tried to heal people but sometimes I couldn’t heal the wounded without killing others. It was the only way to keep people safe but… but I.” Ajay choked up as the tears spilled from her eyes, “I was supposed to be impartial and heal everyone but I couldn’t do that at the start. I left too many injured IMC soldiers to die from their wounds or if they had killed my people, my...my friends I ended them. I wanted to be better than my family but I couldn’t do that either.” Ajay exhaled as she finally admitted her hard kept secret since starting her career. She had broken her code to heal too many times and the deaths of those IMC soldiers had haunted her ever since. 

“And I remind you of every time you encountered the IMC.” It was a simple, obvious statement from Anita, but one that needed to be said out loud. 

“It’s hard to seper-”

“It was my whole life.” Anita cut her off, “The IMC. It’s in my blood. I can’t separate it from me just like you can’t separate yourself from those deaths.” Ajay winced at Anita’s tone. There was anger creeping through even though she didn’t raise her voice. Ajay forced herself to look at the soldier, her hands were balled into fists. 

“But I’m here, stuck fighting for my life because the IMC couldn’t care less about loyalty. And the worst thing is I lost my brother fighting in their name.” Anita clutched her dog tags, her own eyes stinging with emotion. 

“Jackson Williams, that was your brother?” Ajay asked, remember the name from when Anita had revived her. 

“This is not even his dog tag. I had it made because he stayed behind to give me time to save my own ass. And watching you run away from me in the games, it broke my heart to think that’s how Jackson must have felt. So I can’t separate myself from the IMC because as soon as I do that, I lose my brother and my family. I have to hold on because Ajay it’s all I fucking have.” 

Bangalore, Anita Williams ex IMC soldier and human being was here crying in front of her, because of her out in the middle of the park. Ajay had no idea about Anita’s personal ties about why she was so proud of her past, why she was still wearing the dog tags and the similar but different uniform in the games. The soldier was trying to discover who she was now whilst attempting to find her way back to her family. And Ajay had disregarded her life by refusing to see anything more than three letters. 

“I’m so sorry Anita. None of us are innocent but I punished you because of my own demons. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that. Seems like I’m still hurting people more than healing them.” Anita scoffed.

“Can’t heal anyone if you’re hurting Ajay. What’s so bad about your family?” The soldier was wiping her eyes and straightened her back. Ajay got the sense the soldier’s emotional patience was running short. 

“Ah they did a lot of hurting too. Made a cred or two...million from the war.” Anita chuckled,

“Sounds like something the IMC would do.” Ajay’s stomach dropped, Anita was right again. Her own family had exploited and hurt people and encouraged her to do the same. How could she judge the woman in front of her when Ajay’s own hands had never been clean. 

“Sounds like we’re two sides of the same cred. How about we start again?” Anita spoke, taking a step closer. 

“What did you have in mind?” Ajay was tired of the tears but her chest didn’t feel as tight anymore. 

“Hi I’m Anita Williams, a traveller stuck on the Outlands seeking passage home,” Anita stuck out a hand towards Ajay. 

Ajay smiled, “Nice to meet you ‘Nita, I’m Ajay Che, resident doctor just trying to make a difference in this world.” Anita’s hand was warm and she squeezed firmly, securing their first step towards understanding each other. 

“Right, Ajay Che I’m heading back. Good talk.” Anita was smiling now as well. 

“I’ll catch you around ‘Nita, nice hair cut by the way,” that caught the tall woman by surprise and Ajay swore the tips of her ears turned pink as she went on her way. 

Ajay walked in the opposite direction, relief swallowing the pressure that had been filling her up and she felt light, giddy almost. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes caught Anita’s briefly before she disappeared into the complex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you got this far, thank you for reading! I don't post anything unless I'm happy with the content but any feedback, kudos and comments are always welcomed. Hopefully we're on the same wavelength haha! 
> 
> Stay safe, stay home and stay sane everyone! - Dark_Shadows_01


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello beautiful people, I'm back with another update! There's some sexiness at the bottom just as a warning and not as a prompt to skip the rest of the chapter haha! Enjoy!

Anita nursed her warm cup of coffee against her chest as she slowly turned the pages of a simple, red book. Her eyes processed familiar names, rankings and deaths. Some weren’t familiar to her personally but their time had ended by her hands so she had made it a point to find out at least who they were, as much as she could under IMC surveillance. The soldier should have been angrier at the medic’s confession about leaving soldiers out to die or taking revenge on them in her earlier years but Anita could understand the feeling. If she could have a chance to meet the people who had taken Jackson from her…she was sure her moral compass would be taking a backseat. Anita exhaled as she read more names, too many names. She had started writing when the pressure of her career had nearly caused her to burn out more than once. The people she had lost under her command were the most difficult to forgive herself over and the noise from the ‘what ifs’ had been deafening. So she made a habit of reading the book, to remember them and slowly accepted that they had all signed up for the IMC and knew the risks to soothe her guilt.

Her communication device interrupted her thoughts as it buzzed, Anita flipped it open and it was a message from Mirage: _‘Hello my favourite Legends...and Bangalore!’_ Anita rolled her eyes, he was probably still upset that she had tried to shoot him. Drama queen.

 _‘Just want to remind you about the epic party tonight. Be there or be boring. But really...please be there!’_ Anita had plenty of time yet to get ready so she focussed on cleaning her place up. Not that it was unkempt in the first place. She had an inkling that she probably would bring someone back, the days where she read the book often needed a companion for the night.

\----------

Ajay was standing outside her clinic, relieved that she had started to heal one of her many pressure points. However the clinic always had the potential to knock her back down, she breathed. She could do this. There was always a way to help. Ajay walked in.

“Dr Che! Good to see you,” Raheem greeted cheerfully from behind the receptionist desk.

“Hi Raheem, sorry I’ve been away... just needed some time to myself. I’m sure you know I didn’t do too well in the last games.” Ajay replied feeling a wave of shame wash up at her sides.

“Dr Che I always know you give it your best, I don’t know anyone else who can do what you do.” Raheem tried to reassure her. Anita probably could, Ajay thought as she pulled up their funds, bracing herself for the worst.

“Raheem, there’s something wrong here, why are our numbers so good?” Ajay questioned and Raheem beamed back.

“I assure you Dr Che the numbers are correct, we received an anonymous donation yesterday!” Ajay was stunned, this wasn’t some token offering, this was some serious investment. They could buy better equipment, run more blood drives, upgrade the beds to make patients more comfortable, hire more staff...

“I need their details, this is someone we need to keep sweet!” Ajay laughed incredulously. “Sorry Dr Che, I promised them in full confidence that they could donate anonymously.” Raheem was still grinning and Ajay conceded.

“Well whoever they are, they’re my new favourite person!” What was it that Wraith always said? This dimension was looking up. Ajay leaned back on the reception desk, soaking up the information. Tears, her new best friend, sparkled in her eyes as she sent a heartfelt thank you out into the universe. It really couldn’t have happened at a better time. Whoever this person was, they had given Ajay a chance to breathe and maybe, just maybe, ease up on herself. There was a familiar tickle in her pocket and Ajay pulled out her communication device: _‘Hello my favourite Legends...and Bangalore!’_ Ajay laughed, Elliot sure loved to annoy the soldier but yes! The party was later tonight! The medic had planned on not attending if she couldn’t patch things up with Anita but that had ended amicably and now the clinic was financially sound. There was nothing that could stop her from getting her groove on!

\-------

Ajay enjoyed the parties Elliot threw, they always had the right tempo and an exclusive guest list that was staggered so there were never too many people. This gave the Legends a chance to actually cut loose without worrying about rabid fans or the press. She had a bouncing Silva on one arm and Makoa on her other, her usual party crew, as they entered the bar. Ajay was definitely ready to dance. She had baggy jeans with fashionable rips in the fabric around her thighs and knees paired with a black and hot pink printed tank top. Silva was wearing his normal gear but with a splash of colour all over, and Makoa had a flowery shirt with navy trousers. Elliot greeted them with a tray of drinks in varying colours and glasses. Their host was wearing the lowest cut muscle t-shirt Ajay had ever seen, probably to display, not so subtly, his chiseled physique. Ajay could appreciate the view but it was more to Makoa's tastes. The medic happily sipped on her citrus flavoured drink allowing the deceptively innocent liquid to loosen her up to make space for the steady beat of the pulsing music.

They chatted and laughed as the other Legends made their appearances. Wraith materialised beside her in a blue three quarter length sleeved top, dark grey jeans and her signature scarf around her neck. The sweetened alcohol was already having an effect on Ajay or maybe she was just feeling the happiest she had in a while that she pulled the Voidwalker into a hug. Wraith tensed at first but squeezed back.

“Good to see you out of your room Ajay...that’s my specialty.” The medic laughed,

“Well it was either come out willingly or Silva here was gonna carry me!”

“No one should miss out on a party ladies!” The daredevil hooted as he jumped up onto Makoa’s shoulders. To anyone else, they would have said Octane’s alcohol level was as short as he was but Ajay knew the poor guy couldn’t actually get drunk thanks to his mini dialysis machine in his belt. It was the only way for him to filter out all the stims he used in the games.

“Is it time for the Octane cannonball?” Makoa shouted gleefully as he used his shoulders to launch Octane up and over to the other side of the bar. They cheered as Octane flew beautifully through the air until the audience realised the daredevil wasn’t going to have a clean landing. Anita stepped through the entrance with Tae Joon only to have Octane collide into her in a howling ball of flailing limbs. Time froze and everyone held their breath in shock. Even the music seemed to have stopped. Anita felt the air rush out of her lungs. She stumbled back as she held tightly onto Octane’s midriff preventing him from smacking his thick skull off of the floor, though maybe if she let go it might have knocked some sense into him. A second passed. Anita inhaled deeply and lifted the biotic legs above her head so she could look at the daredevil’s eyes as he dangled upside down.

“Oh haha hi Bangalore, fancy meeting you here!” Octane laughed nervously under her stare.

“Damn I know I was late but I didn’t think it was time for an Octane cannonball!” The bar collectively sighed in relief and the music resumed as Anita unceremoniously dumped the speedster at Makoa’s feet.

“Try not to kill anyone else tonight, Makoa.”

“You got it bruddah!” The large man roared as he offered the sturdy soldier a drink. Anita downed it and took another, she could feel the bruising and was sure it was going to be as purple as her shirt. Metal hurts but she wasn’t going to show it, if it was possible. Ajay was already looking her over in concern.

“I guess that kinda makes up for you shooting at me,” Elliot commented.

“Don’t we all shoot at each other?” Ajay asked in confusion.

“Yeah Elliot, you should be mad at all of us not just me,” Anita laughed.

“Uh we’re not supposed to shoot each other in the training grounds! God do you know how upset my fans would be?” The holo pilot lamented throwing his arms over the sharply dressed Tae Joon who groaned in annoyance.

“I’d ask them but I can only see Anita’s fans tonight,” Wraith smirked as Elliot sighed in exasperation leaning into Tae Joon even more. Anita shook her head.

“There is far too much talking going on for this to be a party. We need some shots in here.”

“Yes! I’m in!” Octane sprung up from the floor, revitalised from his earlier stunt.

“Perfect Silva, you’re buying.” Ajay laughed as her friend slumped over in despair and winked at Anita, who nodded in approval.

Multiple shots were bought, downed and bought again. The music grew in volume leaving no room for conversation unless it was up close and personal. The Legends, all of them, were moving in some form to the music. Ajay had sensibly cut her shots off after a few rounds, knowing she wanted to dance more than throw up. The flashing lights and the deep vibrations of the bass had guided her middle of the room with Silva, Elliot and Makoa.

Anita stood off to the side with Wraith and Tae Joon, bouncing her head. She scanned the dance floor searching for someone interesting but her gaze always fell on Ajay. The medic moved with impressive rhythm. Ajay looked at home on the dance floor with quick steps and strong arms. She was undeniably attractive with her relaxed demeanor and Anita felt a pull to join her. The soldier slid through the crowd and hip checked Elliot to the side and made herself comfortable in their circle. The holo pilot feigned injury but used it as an excuse to slip away and take Anita’s place between Wraith and Tae Joon. However not before he released his squad of decoys into the crowd to keep them company, of course. Anita certainly wasn’t as rhythmic in her dancing but she was coordinated and for the heavy techno bass, that was all she needed.

A twinge of pain across her chest reminded Anita of the impression Octane had left on her. Her hand was unconsciously rubbing at the bruise. Ajay appeared in her line of sight much quicker than she could track because of the strobe lighting. The medic’s hands snaked behind Anita’s neck and pulled her within ear shot.

“Your chest ok ‘Nita? I can have a look at it for you.” Anita tried to tell herself that Ajay was only checking if she was injured but her body and the alcohol were trying to convince her that the medic’s intentions weren’t so innocent. The soldier felt a different pulse run through herself.

“Trying to get me out of my clothes already Ajay?” Anita jibed.

“This girl! Have you run out of fans to help you?” Ajay pulled back and slapped her shoulder. The soldier laughed at the banter, it was nice to have it back.

“In your dreams Dr Che...but I’m fine, Ajay. Just a bruise. No need to spend any of your clinic’s creds on me. Though I’m sure you have some to spare now.” Anita fought back another wave of desire as someone had bumped Ajay back into her. She rested her hands on Ajay’s swaying hips, it only made sense if they were trying to speak, right?

“And how do you know my clinic’s financial standing ‘Nita Williams?” Despite her previous comment, Ajay _was_ enjoying the feel of Anita’s shoulders but there was something odd about the soldier’s statement.

“Your hyper friend there runs his mouth as much as his legs,” Anita motioned to the now break dancing Silva to the right of them, entertaining a large group of fans. “But I’m going to grab another drink, want anything?” Ajay shook her head and watched the soldier quickly disappear into the bar. Even though it was likely and nothing wrong with Silva sharing the news, it was just he wasn’t the closest to Anita. They were barely on a first name basis.

The night wore on and even though Ajay had returned to dancing with Makoa and Silva, she couldn’t help but notice that Anita hadn’t reappeared. When Wraith had popped up to say her goodbyes, Ajay inquired into the soldier’s whereabouts.

“Oh Anita left with a fan a while back.” Ajay felt a stab of annoyance.

“Didn’t think she would, considering how close you two were.” The voidwalker smirked.

“I was only asking her if she was hurting from Silva.” Ajay caught herself from putting more bite into her response. It wasn’t as if they were together and Anita certainly didn’t owe her anything. Hell they had only begun to recover their friendship after her past demons had dumped all the evils of her past onto the tall woman.

“Right...well I guess someone else will be kissing her better.” Wraith said as she melted into the night.

\-------------

Ajay waved goodnight to Silva as he hopped off of the lift, two floors below hers. Wasn’t Anita on this floor too? Maybe the daredevil had spoken about the clinic in passing. Ajay sighed as the doors closed again, she could ask Silva about it tomorrow.

Once in her apartment she made her way to the bedroom. Her bed felt heavenly as it welcomed her tired body. The medic estimated she had about an hour of darkness left before the sun woke up but it didn’t matter. There was nothing to do tomorrow and there was still over a week till the next games. Ajay could rest and now she was aware that her emotional stress was triggered by her relentless work ethic; it was going to become a priority. She didn’t want Anita or any Legend suffering because of her.

She lay there in silence, her muscles were tired but her mind was restless. Ajay was frustrated as her thoughts focussed on the same person she had been tangled up with for what felt like weeks: Anita Williams. As she put the IMC ghosts that had haunted her all this time to rest, it was easy to accept Anita as she was now. However that didn't change the fact that the tall, stupidly attractive woman whom she’d had fun with had gone home with a fan. Ajay huffed as she remembered her retort about Anita running out of fans to undress her. The medic hadn’t meant for the soldier to actually prove her wrong.

Ajay’s body had an undercurrent of pleasure humming from her centre that she wanted to ignore. So what if the soldier had strong shoulders that she enjoyed touching, so what if it had felt really good pressing her body against hers, so what if she was fucking someone else right now?

Her hand was tracing the waistband of her shorts and the other was teasing her nipple. Would Anita be as commanding in the bedroom? Would she trap her fan against the wall as they kissed and clawed at each other’s clothes? How would it feel having the weight of all that muscle pinning her to the bed? A moan slipped from Ajay’s mouth as her hand dipped under the fabric to brush against the sensitive hair, her nipples were hard as she played with both of them. Would the fan be loudly moaning Anita’s call sign as the Legend sucked and bit at her breasts? Would she be digging her nails into those smooth shoulders? Ajay inhaled deeply as she felt her wetness coating her teasing hand. She was so hot and wanting. Like she imagined Anita’s mouth would be as she kissed her way over warm skin, over delicious hip points. Lower.

“Fuck,” Ajay groaned as she slid over her clit in slow circles, pressing hard to feel anything through the wetness. Her other hand moved down to spread her lips apart so her clitoris was fully exposed. Would Anita do the same or would her lover’s legs be spread so wide in excitement that all she had to do was lean forward and _lick_? Ajay’s face was scrunched up in concentration as she tried to prolong her build up. However the idea of having Anita licking her. Licking inside of her whilst Ajay threaded her hands through those curls had the medic lifting off of the bed in a matter of seconds. She cursed repeatedly as her hands worked her through the waves of her orgasms, she was sure Anita wouldn’t be satisfied with her partner orgasming just once. Ajay was trembling as her head fell back onto the pillow after the last crest of pleasure. Ajay cursed again as she caught her breath.

Bangalore was living up to her name and the soldier wasn’t even here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohohoho! Who is the mystery donor at Ajay's clinic? What do we think about Anita taking home another fan? Loved, liked or wanted to see something different? Let me know in the comments!
> 
> I'm also returning to work from Monday, boo, so I will try my best with updates until then thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for the kind comments and kudos, please enjoy my latest offering!

The door closed as her latest lover left and Anita was finally able to groan out loud, in pain. She gingerly reached for a glass of water and painkillers. The alcohol had done wonders at masking the pain of having Octane crash into her last night, but now? Her chest was angry and the bruise was definitely not pretty. It was changing from purple to an anguished yellow and black from her chest down underneath her breasts and to top it off, every breath was flavoured with pain. At least her fan was impressed by it. 

Anita groaned again as she pulled up Ajay’s contact details on her communicator and stared at it. She was hesitating because there was a teeny, tiny chance the medic could be upset with her; it had been what she was hoping for last night as she intentionally took a fan home instead. Anita couldn’t help it if a part of her was searching for some kind of payback at being left behind. Well, she probably could have, the soldier admitted but party Anita didn’t want to. She hadn't even said goodbye to make sure to leave Ajay extra salty but now she was praying Ajay wasn’t going to hold it against her when she was hurt. Ajay Che was a professional and not petty...right?

Pain flinched through her, Anita gritted her teeth and bit the bullet. 

\--------

Ajay had felt quite relaxed when she woke up, but she was trying not to think of how exactly that was achieved, as she wandered through the clinic checking up on patients. The medic hadn’t planned on working today but it was hard to stay away now there was funding. She could actually work on a strategy on how to use it wisely. After Ajay had finished her rounds she returned to her office to find her communicator flashing. 

You have a new message from Anita Williams. 

Ajay inhaled deeply, trying to curb the familiar bubble of frustration that seemed to shadow that name. Did the soldier really think she could blow off Ajay last night and message her like it was no big deal? She stared at the notification, debating whether to actually open it. Curiosity won out but boy was Anita going to get an earful!

‘Hey Ajay, hope you’re ok. If your offer to look at my chest is still there I’d really appreciate it. Kinda hurts...a lot.’ Ajay frowned at the text, now she couldn’t be angry if Anita was injured. She’d have to save her pettiness for later. 

‘Can you come to the clinic? I can look over you here or is the pain too much?’ Ajay waited. 

‘On my way.’ Was the response. Ajay suspected that even if Anita was in a great deal of pain, the soldier probably would do everything to push through it. The next set of games was approaching so whatever damage had been done, Ajay had to make sure she could provide Anita with the best chance of competing. Especially since it was her friend that had caused the mishap. 

As Ajay was checking her D.O.C’s battery level, there was a whoosh of a portal opening and a wheezing Anita stepped out, propped up by Wraith.

“I found her crawling out of the complex.” Wraith chuckled as she and Ajay helped Anita onto the cot in her office. 

“I...wasn’t crawling.” The soldier tried to sound adamant but Anita’s breath was laboured and she was sweating. Clearly her pride had made her overexert herself.

“Thanks for the delivery Wraith, leave the knucklehead with me,” Ajay waved the voidwalker off and she popped back into the portal leaving the room quiet save for Anita’s breathing. 

“So, shall I tell Silva this is how he should take you down in the games from now on?”

“Wouldn’t work...only hurts the day after.” Anita’s grimace was clear, Ajay could tease the soldier after she was done healing her. 

“I need to examine your chest, without your t-shirt on. Is that alright?” Ajay expected another quip but Anita only responded softly.

“Can you help? It hurts to raise my arms,”

“Of course,” Ajay moved the material up gently, past strong abs...of course Anita had abs but the medic screwed up her face as the bruise revealed itself. She was going to have words with Silva after this. Ajay eased muscled arms out of the garment and finally with a dip of the soldier’s head she removed the t-shirt. Now she could see Anita’s torso freely except for her sports bra. 

“Lie back for me ‘Nita,” Ajay lightly encouraged and the soldier complied, the lines of her muscles tensing as she moved. 

“I have a feeling the issue will be with your ribs. So I’m going to feel along the cage and you tell me when it hurts ok?” 

“Yes Dr Che...ow!” Ajay had only brushed her hands on the ribs under Anita’s breasts before the soldier was grumbling. After a thorough assessment, it confirmed that Ajay was correct about the damaged ribs but the medic added a couple more prods for good measure and definitely not because it was satisfying to hear Anita groan in pain. 

“Lucky for you I can get D.O.C to heal you up! It feels like you have a few hairline fractures on your ribs. So that explains why you’re in so much pain.” Ajay hooked up her bot to Anita’s side and the soldier sighed out as the serum pumped into her system. 

“This stuff isn't as good as in the games but it’ll be enough for the hairline fractures to patch up but the bruise will go away in its own time. Just gotta sit tight and let it work.” Ajay explained as she moved back from the cot slightly, she didn’t want Anita to catch her staring at her sculpted body, laying out in front of her...ugh why was she staring she was supposed to be annoyed! 

“Thanks Ajay, I owe you one.” Anita’s voice was calm and no longer laboured, so maybe the medic could express her annoyance...subtlety of course. 

“Your chest didn’t bother you last night after the party?” Anita chuckled but winced as the pain was still there. So Ajay was mad. The soldier had thought maybe she had gotten away with it. 

“No, the alcohol and the company helped.” Ajay rolled her eyes, why had she even asked? The soldier could still hold her own, injured and topless. 

“The company was good last night, I had fun until the crowd started thinning out.” Ajay looked out the window, afraid that she was being far too obvious. 

“Oh? Didn’t think you’d notice I had left.” Anita spoke, a small smile playing on her lips.

“I didn’t.” Ajay bit back too quickly. “I only noticed when Wraith told me.”

“So you didn’t think about me last night?” Ajay’s face burned as she remembered her own night time activities inspired by the topless woman but there was no way Anita knew that. She was just being her usual frustrating self. 

“Not at all,” Ajay huffed and Anita laughed again but this time the pain was less, whatever D.O.C was doing was working. 

“You’re mad.” 

“You’re mad to think I think about you,” Ajay folded her arms defensively. 

“You’re so mad Ajay, you’re doing that cute thing where you scrunch up your nose.”

“I am not!” Ajay blurted then immediately scowled, urgh why did she have emotions and why could Anita mess with her so effectively? 

D.O.C beeped and released the cord from Anita. The soldier sat up slowly and spun her legs off of the side of the cot so she was facing Ajay, who was only a step away from her. It was amazing to breathe easily once more but it was even better seeing the medic practically fuming within her own head. Adorable. 

“Do you feel better now?” Ajay pushed aside her knotted emotions and attempted to resume her role as the doctor. She poked at Anita’s ribs and was pleased to see she wasn’t recoiling except for a ticklish spot here and there. 

“I feel much better Dr Che. Thank you,” Anita’s voice dipped into a soft tone and Ajay could feel something tug her towards the soldier. They weren’t as close as last night were when they were dancing but still, Ajay was pretty close…

“How do you feel right now?” Anita’s voice dipped further into a husky whisper and Ajay swore they were leaning in…

“Dr Che to ward 2!” The tannoy system startled them both and Ajay cursed the universe. 

“Put your clothes on ‘Nita, this ain’t your bedroom!” Ajay tossed Anita’s t-shirt at her face and with the controlled restraint of Silva, the medic bolted from her own office with the sounds of laughter echoing her steps. 

\---------

Anita studied the bruise in the mirror in her bathroom, it was really quite ugly but she was thankful that Ajay was able to heal her ribs. Breathing without pain was something she was going to appreciate a lot more. Anita sighed and pulled her t-shirt down and thought back to the moment earlier. It was clear that had they not been interrupted that they would have kissed. So despite all of Ajay’s views on the IMC she had made some kind of peace in regards to the soldier’s past, enough to allow for attraction to grow. Anita had always found the combat medic to be gorgeous but Anita had chosen to keep a wall up. It was simpler to take home fans for the night to overcome the homesickness but recently the idea she might never have enough to make it back was steadily creeping up in her mind. Anita wasn’t sure if she liked the thought of having someone more permanent to share those feelings with in a relationship...that was scarier than the Apex Games. 

Maybe they needed more time to relax with each other before rushing into the physical side of things, Ajay wasn’t just a fan, she was here fighting with purpose and had her own nightmares to face. 

Anita wandered to her kitchen and considered her reserves, she could invite the medic over for dinner. At least there were less interruptions and maybe Dr Che would appreciate not having to cook after being at the clinic. It was bold of Anita to assume that Ajay would actually be free or interested in spending more time together. Maybe the combat medic just thought of her as a hot piece of ass for a night. Anita laughed, now she was being bold. 

\-------

You have a new message from Anita Williams

Ajay let the sense of deja vu wash over as she finished up at the clinic. 

"She better not be injured because Dr Che just clocked off!" Ajay spoke aloud, D.O.C chirped and spun in response beside her desk. The call earlier was for a simple operation but one that needed supervision for the junior doctor performing it and somehow she was the only senior member of staff around. It went smoothly and the patient was recovering well but Ajay knew that the healing would be quicker if the hospital had new beds. The increased comfort would do wonders and just before Ajay had received Anita’s message, she had finished submitting the requisition order. It was exciting to wait for the first of many upgrades coming to the hospital. 

Ajay was about to read Anita’s message but paused, if the tanoy hadn’t called for her, they would have kissed right? That’s what would have happened... so did Anita like her? Did she like Anita or was it simply a physical response to the topless soldier being so close to her. Ajay sighed, what if Anita only wanted her for the night like she did with her fans? A small part of her insisted that she wouldn’t mind a night with those abs, but she chastised herself. Of course she didn’t want to be a one time deal, she was Ajay Che and a down right catch. 

'Hey Ajay, thanks for patching me up earlier. It’s nice to breathe properly again. Just wondered if you wanted to have dinner at my place to save you cooking after working all day. I mean if you didn’t already have plans.’

Dinner? Now that was a surprise. It would be nice not having to worry about food, Ajay was sure all she had left was instant noodles at hers. Maybe this would be the best chance to see what the soldier was actually about. 

‘Sounds good ‘Nita I’m just leaving the clinic now if that works? I’m just casual, it’s not a fancy 3 course meal now is it?’ Ajay pinged off her reply and headed for the door. She was barely out of the building before she received her answer:

‘I think you’re overestimating my cooking skills Dr Che. Just casual sounds perfect.’ 

Ajay smiled as her feet moved her swiftly through the complex and it wasn’t until she was standing outside Anita’s apartment that her stomach folded with nerves. What if this was a ploy to get her to stay the night? Ajay frowned, no Anita wouldn’t do that, as much as she was frustrating, the soldier was all about rules and boundaries. Ajay slapped her thighs lightly in a simple drum beat to calm herself. It was just free food with her...friend? She wasn’t sure what they were but whatever was going to happen Ajay could handle it. She knocked.

The door opened revealing Anita in blue hoody and grey tracksuit bottoms, casual like they agreed. Ajay relaxed, she was definitely overthinking everything. 

“Hey Ajay, come on in,” Anita smiled as she stood to the side allowing the smaller woman entry into her place. 

“Kitchen’s on the left but you probably know that since we all have the same apartments.” 

“Or I could follow my nose ‘Nita, it smells amazing in here!” Ajay wandered into the open plan kitchen and living room and eyed up the pots on the counter. 

“Just casual pasta, as per doctor’s orders,” Anita chuckled as she set about serving up the food. “Hungry?” 

“Very! I can’t remember the last time I actually made pasta you know,” Ajay gratefully accepted a large bowl of pasta covered in the most delicious smelling tomato sauce. 

“What? You mean to tell me Dr Che doesn’t always eat the most nutritional meals?” Anita sat across from Ajay at the kitchen island and tucked into her own food. 

“Hush you, my busy lifestyle may call for a packet or five of instant noodles. So this is a treat, thanks ‘Nita!” Ajay was trying really hard not to inhale the bowl in front of her but if Anita’ warm smile was anything to go by she was sure the soldier didn’t mind. 

“But really, I just wanted to do something to thank you for healing me. I’m sure you have a million things to do.” Ajay stopped eating and held Anita’s gaze, everything about the soldier was genuine and Ajay felt guilty that she even considered Anita would have hidden intentions about dinner. 

“Mmm I’m always busy but now I know you can cook, you’ll definitely be prioritised!” They laughed and Anita eyed up the empty bowl.

"But still how are you doing?" Anita asked as she topped up Ajay's bowl with more food. "It's not really been that long since we spoke about the last games."

Ajay regarded the fresh bowl of pasta in front of her, how was she feeling? She had told herself she was going to take more time for herself but she wasn't sure that was even happening.

"I'm really happy that we talked and I've been so much lighter since I admitted the challenges I've had with the IMC to you." Anita nodded, 

"The ghosts of the past can be pretty loud, right?" 

"So loud and heavy!" Ajay sighed as she chewed on the pasta, "But I don't think I would be feeling relieved if you hadn't been so understanding. I mean I will always regret what I did to you." Ajay observed the soldier as she listened, was she still hurting from that? Ajay wouldn't blame her if she was.

"I appreciate it Ajay but I get it. How the past can warp the present and considering what you've been through I'm surprised it took you as long as it did for something like this to happen. I...I actually write about my ghosts as a way to honour and remember them. It's stopped me from experiencing a lot more of what you've been going through." Anita admitted, "And I know you seem like you have to redeem yourself because of your family but that's something they chose to do. You Dr Che chose to help and that's pretty awesome." 

Ajay smiled and sat up a bit taller in her seat, that's really how Anita saw her? "Thanks 'Nita that's really kind of you to say. Sometimes I get stuck in my head that I can't see the bigger picture or any picture actually. But you're right, I am pretty and awesome!" Ajay laughed as Anita scoffed at her in jest.

“More?”

“Please!” 

Ajay groaned as she sat back on the navy sofa, allowing the soft fabric to cradle her body. 

“Why didn’t you stop me from eating all the pasta ‘Nita?” Ajay sighed out as she rubbed her food baby trying to soothe her digestive system.

“That’s all on you Ajay, but glad you enjoyed it until now. I’ll make you a mint tea to help,” Anita spoke as she put the dishes away. It was nice having Ajay here even if she was suffering from a food coma. 

“Are you sure you’re not a doctor, ‘Nita? You seem to have all the answers.” Ajay quizzed as she accepted the warm mug and sipped the hot liquid cautiously. 

“I didn’t realise that basic food knowledge was worthy of the medical profession, maybe I should have trained in that instead.” Anita joined her on the sofa but kept a bit of distance between. 

“My food baby isn’t that big you can sit closer,” Ajay wasn’t sure if it was the pasta bringing her so much comfort or if it was the woman who was scooting over to her. As soon as Anita was next to her, Ajay rested her head against Anita’s arm but she moved it away to gently place around the medic so she was able to lean on her newly healed chest. They didn’t say anything and Ajay was enjoying being here with Anita but she could feel some tension radiating from the soldier. 

“How’s your chest now ‘Nita, has the bruise gone down any?” Ajay snuggled further into her soldier and played with one of the ties of Anita’s hoody. 

“Ye...yeah the pain’s gone. But I noticed when you were applying pressure you seemed to poke extra hard.” Ajay stopped playing with the tie and pretended to cough to stop herself from laughing, her pettiness had been obvious. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about ‘Nita Williams. I, Dr Ajay Che, am a complete professional.” Anita snorted, 

“Sure and it had nothing to do with you being annoyed with me?” Ajay squeaked as Anita pinched her side. Ajay, with or without a food baby, pushed herself away with impressive force from the offending hand and somehow found herself sitting in Anita’s lap whilst gripping the soldier’s wrists defensively. They stared at each other neither knowing what to do until Ajay realised she was still holding Anita and released her grip. The soldier hesitantly placed her hands on the medic’s hips, like she had when they were dancing but made no other movement. The next move was for Ajay to decide as they searched each other’s eyes for the right answer. 

Ajay, carefully, leaned down until their noses brushed and their eyes fluttered shut. Her body hummed positively at their intimate position and it gave Ajay more confidence to explore further.

“‘Nita?” Ajay whispered, she was so close to pressing against those lips and she could feel Anita’s hands tightening on her hips. Anita knew this had to come from Ajay, she needed the medic to choose her, it would soothe the last whispers of hurt the soldier still had from being left behind.

“Yes?”

“I am annoyed at you,” Ajay pulled herself closer against Anita’s chest. The action aroused a groan from the soldier and Ajay bit her lip as nails momentarily dug into her skin. 

“Wh, why Ajay,” Anita’s body was burning up as Ajay teased her with conversation. The medic wound a hand into her curls and tugged her head back so their lips were impossibly close.

“Because you took home a fan instead of me.” Ajay’s heart was pounding, she had been worried about not having any control tonight but here she was on top of Anita Williams, a hot breath away from kissing and who knows what else and the soldier was letting her lead without any pressure. It was exhilarating and incredibly sexy that Anita was getting off on it as much as she was.

“When she was kissing you did you think of me?” Ajay rubbed their noses together, too often Anita seemed to have the upper hand in their exchanges but now Ajay was going to relish the role reversal. It was empowering to finally have a clear answer to cut through her tangled emotions. Ajay did want Anita for herself.

“Yes,” Anita moaned. It was the truth, she had left the party with the fan but instead she had spent the night dreaming of how Ajay would feel under her, how she would taste and how she would sound. 

“Try to behave from now on or keep dreaming,” Ajay turned her face to the side and pressed a kiss on Anita’s ear lightly and whispered,

“Thanks for dinner, Sugar,” Anita groaned as her body shuddered at the soft contact but she didn’t stop Ajay as she removed herself from their charged encounter and instead watched the combat medic leave. 

“Fuck me,” Anita cursed out loud into her empty apartment, maybe she should have cooked something fancier. 

\---------

Ajay exhaled shakily on the outside of Anita’s door. It had been the hardest thing to leave the soldier in such an obvious state of desire, especially when her own body was begging her to give in and claim the woman as her own. However a bubble of giddiness rose within her, did that really just happen? Anita had enough respect for her not to treat her as just any fan. If that’s all the soldier had wanted she wouldn’t have been so sweet and caring. 

“Ajay that you?” Silva’s voice brought her back to reality. She was just standing out in the hallway that wasn’t hers. 

“Oh hey Silva, I was just having dinner with ‘Nita. She wanted to thank me for healing her after you busted her up last night.” Ajay forced herself to walk towards her friend, it would be suspicious if she lingered outside of Anita’s door. 

“Really? Should I try that in the next games?” He asked excitedly.

“Nah, it only hurts the day after apparently. But just watch your landings Silva, don’t want you hurting anyone or yourself you hear me?” Ajay scolded the daredevil. 

“Oh come on Che! No one died!” He whined.

“This time!” Ajay countered but remembered she had wanted to ask Silva about Anita’s comment. “By the way did you mention to ‘Nita about the mysterious donation the clinic received by any chance? Nothing wrong if you did just wondering really.”

“Bangs? No I hadn’t seen her until I was crashing into her at the party. How come chica?” Ajay frowned. 

“No reason Silva. I’m gonna head to bed. Catch you later!” She hurried past him into the lift, her shoulders slumped as it rumbled up to her floor. The new information was troubling. 

Why did Anita lie to her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you mad? Don't be mad, just tell me your feelings in the comments haha! Love hearing from you and I'm having a lot of fun with this. I'm finding each chapter turns out very differently from my first ideas so any feedback is greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Hi! It's me again with a final update on this story! Thank you to those who have been reading and enjoying, I've been having a lot of fun adding content for this pairing. Just a warning there is some extra mature happenings near the end!

She couldn’t fall asleep as Silva’s words and her many questions played throughout the long night. Just when she thought she had some actual direction, Ajay had been thrown for another loop by the soldier. Ajay sighed as she leaned against the reception desk at the clinic. She had no intention of working in the mood she was in, unless it was an absolute emergency. 

“Dr Che is everything alright?” Raheem questioned, the receptionist had been silent for the most part but the rate the Legend was sighing, he knew she was just waiting for an invitation to speak. 

“Raheem what would you do if you found out someone you were starting to like had lied to you?” Oh. Dr Che was having relationship problems, Raheem wasn’t sure he was the ideal person for this but for Dr Che, he’d try. 

“Uh I guess it would depend on what they had been lying about. Do you want to tell me what’s going on Dr Che?” Ajay clicked her tongue in annoyance, was she overreacting? Could she just speak to Anita about it instead of spiralling within herself? 

“Anita...uh I mean Bangal-”

“Ah yes Anita Williams, previously held the rank of Sergeant within the IMC!” Ajay side eyed the receptionist, he sounded quite excited. 

“Uh yeah her, she seemed to know about the clinic’s donation but I’m not sure how she found out really.” Ajay returned her gaze out of the clinic’s doors and saw a hairdressers across the street. How long had that been there? 

“Ah well you can find out all sorts through the media and the HUB.” Raheem stated simply. He had a point, the HUB contained all the information anyone could want on anything. However the answer did little to soothe her mind. 

“Has that hairdresser’s always been there?” 

“Yeah it’s quite small but it’s actually the one Bangalore goes to.” Ajay looked at Raheem again in surprise. 

“Have you been stalking her Raheem?” He laughed nervously,

“No Dr Che, again the HUB has everything any fan could want, but I’ve seen her a few times going in.” 

“So you’re a fan huh? Thought I was your number one Raheem!” Ajay complained, had Anita always been this popular? 

“Dr Che of course you are my number one but Bangalore also shares that position. Her story is quite interesting. Lost ex IMC soldier out fighting for her life in the Apex Games, trying to find her all the way back to Gridiron. Do you know how far that is?” Ajay shook her head, “Bangalore would have to win every game for the next 5 years before she could even think about seeking passage home! And with such amazing Legends to compete against, who knows if she’ ll actually be able to because even if she does have the creds, she needs to find people who would be willing to fly through IMC airspace! It sounds like a lonely journey…” Raheem drifted to a stop as he met Ajay’s eyes. “Sorry, I’m geeking out over here aren’t I?” 

“What else do you know about Bangalore?” Raheem cleared his throat of the emotion he held for Bangalore’s story.

“She’s 6ft, enjoys shooting guns on her birthday and can dismantle and reassemble a Peacekeeper in 20 seconds  _ blindfolded! _ Here let me show you her profile on the HUB.” Raheem went to collect his communicator from the drawer but as soon as he opened it, he slammed it shut startling Ajay.

“Whoa you ok there Raheem?” Ajay pushed off of the desk as circled back to have a better look. 

“Uh yes, yes everything’s fine. Can we use your communicator instead? I just remembered mine’s not working!” Raheem was talking a bit too fast to convince the medic. 

“Raheem. What’s in there? Don’t make me ask you again.” Ajay added her doctor tone to make sure Raheem couldn’t stall any longer. Now it was his turn to groan and he opened the drawer for Ajay to see the contents. 

“Is that?” Ajay gawked as she lifted a framed picture of Bangalore. The soldier was doing her best serious pose whilst cracking her knuckles but the picture wasn’t what surprising it was what was written on it. 

“How did you get an autograph?” Ajay may be learning more about the soldier than she ever had but one thing  _ everyone _ knew was that she hated giving autographs. Raheem didn’t answer and the medic noticed the date. 

“Wait, this was only a few days ago?” It was the day before she had talked to the soldier and Anita did have a fresh haircut...

“It was Bangalore, wasn’t it, who made the donation?” Ajay’s voice dropped to a whisper. 

“She asked me to guarantee her anonymity and I took a chance to ask for an autograph.” Raheem explained and took the picture from Ajay, “Please don’t let her know I told you.” 

“Don’t worry Raheem, she’s got to get through me first if she has a problem with it.” 

\---------

Anita finished showering after her gym routine, it was great to be training again and she was pleased to see the bruise shrinking as it healed. Last night’s dinner had been interesting to say the least and it appeared as though her wish to take things slow had reached Ajay as well. Anita replayed the scene on the sofa and shuddered, it had felt so good having the medic that close, much better than any fan she had brought home. 

Anita chuckled, Ajay had told her to behave if she wanted to have any luck with the gorgeous medic. The soldier was confident she could follow the order very well as the promise of the kiss was too enticing to ignore. A familiar buzz on her bed caught the soldier’s attention and she smiled.

_ You have a new message from Ajay Che _

_ ‘You free to meet now in the park?’ _

Something about the message made Anita feel uneasy. It was the first message either of them had shared since last night and Anita was hoping for a different tone? The message seemed serious or maybe she was just reading into it too much since their last meeting in the park wasn’t exactly a picnic. 

_ ‘Be there in five.’  _

Anita replied and headed out, there was only one way to find out what Ajay had planned. 

The soldier spotted the combat medic pacing near one of the trees in the park. She was frowning. Anita swallowed thickly, was Ajay about to tell her that actually whatever was happening between them wasn’t welcomed after all? __

“Hey Ajay, everything alright?” Anita approached the medic who stopped pacing and weakly waved in her direction. Anita didn’t like any of this. 

“Hey ‘Nita,” Ajay replied softly. Oh god, what was she supposed to say now? She had left the clinic with the intention of calling out the soldier but now Anita was standing in front of her, Ajay’s mind was drawing blank as she stared into worried hazel eyes. It was fine, she could ask and they’d talk it out like before, come on Che…

“Ajay what’s going on?” Anita tried again and she mentally prepared herself for the rejection Ajay was about to deliver. 

“You were the one that made the donation to the clinic, weren’t you? Why did you lie about talking to Silva about it?” Anita blinked, that wasn’t what she had been expecting but it wasn’t exactly great either. It had been too much of a gamble to believe that Ajay wouldn’t follow up with her friend on the information from the party. 

“I didn’t want you to know it was me who donated because I wanted you to see me as I am and not think I was trying to buy you off,” Anita admitted, it wouldn’t do her any favours if she made further excuses. 

“But what made you donate now and why so much?” Ajay pressed, it seemed crazy to question why the donation had been made when it meant it could do so much for the clinic but she needed to understand it. 

“Don’t you know it would take you like 5 years at best to raise enough money to return to Gridiron?”

Anita scoffed, “Have you been reading my HUB page or something?” Ajay’s cheeks burned as she parroted Raheem’s words earlier. 

“It’s true though isn’t it? Gridiron is light years away, why would you give up so much?” Ajay questioned again. She didn't want to be the reason Anita couldn’t get home sooner rather than later.

“When I visited the clinic the other day it opened up my eyes to how much pressure you put yourself under. You’re not only here fighting in the Apex Games but you’re trying to make this place here and now better and it’s bloody impressive Dr Che.” 

Anita sighed, “It’s real good, rather than the “good” the IMC had me believe I was doing. So I guess I just wanted to help you out because you deserve it.” She paused before smirking.

“And also the set up is pretty much on point with IMC medical camps so maybe you can find some way to change that up with the investment. Maybe paint the walls to be more warm?” Ajay laughed, she had all the creds to upgrade the equipment in the building but ‘Nita wanted her to use it on paint. 

“‘Nita Williams do you know how insufferable you are?” Ajay challenged the taller woman but didn’t let her reply as she wrapped her arms around Anita, pulling her close. Anita chuckled and squeezed the medic against her and rested her chin on top of Ajay’s head. 

“Are you really mad at me for donating?” Ajay tightened her grip, “What about your family ‘Nita?”

“You said it yourself Ajay. They’re so far away that really if it takes me a bit longer it’s ok. Sometimes I wonder if I’m even meant to see them again. Maybe I’m meant to look for another home.” 

“Raheem was right, Bangalore’s story is a lonely one…” Ajay murmured into the warmth of her soldier. 

“It doesn’t feel that way when you’re holding me And I knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the donation a secret.” Anita huffed. 

“Don’t be angry at him, I interrogated him. But he didn’t help himself by keeping your autograph at the clinic!” Ajay pulled back from the hug slightly so she could look up at Anita.

“But thank you, your donation is incredible. It can get lonely being the only one who’s interested in helping out here.” Ajay smiled sadly at Anita. 

“Maybe now neither of us has to be alone?” The soldier asked with hope tinting her question. 

“I like the sound of that ‘Nita Williams. But can you come down here? Not everyone is 6ft and can take apart and reassemble a Peacekeeper in 20 seconds you know.” Anita laughed.

"You forgot blindfolded, Dr Che," Ajay rolled her eyes but she was grinning. Anita composed herself and leaned down, Ajay repositioned her hands so one was behind the soldier’s neck and the other lay on her chest.

Their lips met tentatively and their noses brushed gently together. Ajay felt a swell emotion at the softness of their first kiss. Through all of her latest challenges, she had found her constant and she wanted to feel as much of the sweet soldier as she could in this moment. They shared a sigh as Ajay pushed their lips firmly together. The way Anita’s arms were wrapped around the medic’s back made her feel safe and Ajay moaned as a warm tongue stroked her own. Desire spiked through her body, a reminder she had been here before but not yet acted fully on her instincts. Reluctantly Ajay separated their connection and Anita groaned in protest. 

“I want you ‘Nita.” Ajay whispered as she caressed Anita’s cheek with the back of her hand. Anita kissed her hand as Ajay traced it over the soldier’s sweet lips. 

“How much Ajay?” was her husky reply. 

“To Gridiron and back,” Anita snorted a laugh and poked Ajay’s sides causing the medic to giggle. 

“Who knew Dr Che was so cheesy? But do you think you could wait till after the next games?” Ajay stared up in surprise, her body was yelling in protest at the request, the pressure point between her legs was particularly loud. 

“Well...I guess this way I can actually see if you can behave yourself for me.” Ajay challenged as her hands played along muscled shoulders. 

“I’m pretty good at following orders, Dr Che.” Anita smirked but she was relieved Ajay was willing to wait a little longer, it was the final confirmation that Ajay wasn’t going to leave her behind. The rising feelings could be savoured and defenses could melt away for both of them. 

“I can’t wait to see how good you are ‘Nita Williams,” Ajay purred and their lips came together again sealing their promise.

\------------

She was running, sliding and vaulting over rocks with sounds of laughter slipping past her lips, an odd sound for the Apex Games but Bloodhound and Wraith shared a smile as they watched their jumpmaster move freely in front of them. 

“It is vonderful to hear you so light, Lifeline,” The tracker commented over their comms. 

“It’s because we’re going to win!” Lifeline called as she dropped over a cliff and quickly hopped on rocks in between molten lava. 

“It’s waiting for us, let’s go find it,” Wraith encouraged as she punched a portal for them to dive into the next firefight. 

Bangalore aimed and caught Octane with her G7, stopping the daredevil from leaping away on his jump pad. She smirked, that’ll teach him for crashing into her but her HUD lit up as Crypto’s drone detected more fighters entering their space. Gibraltar reacted first and called in his concentrated airstrike on the newcomers popping out of a portal. The sounds of shield cracking broke through their communicators but even with Crypto emptying his 301, no one was knocked down. 

Bangalore slid from the roof as return fire chipped at her own defences and pulled out both of her smoke grenades to slow down the latest squad. She was Kill Leader and had every intention of keeping the title. Through the smoke, her squad was washed in orange as Bloodhound’s sonar revealed their positions. 

“Enemies here!” Crypto alerted her and the soldier opened fire from under the house her squad had hauled up in. 

“Confirmed hits,” Bangalore was delighted as she knocked Bloodhound but one knock was met with Gibraltar’s elimination. The soldier turned her head as she could hear footsteps on the roof. Best to sit tight but she missed the blue shield covering Bloodhound as they were revived. As far as Bangalore was concerned, they could still bring this back as long as Crypto kept his head down. 

“Discharging EMP!” More shields shattered and Bangalore took her chance to pony up with Crypto as they tried to distance themselves from their attackers. There was still 30 seconds on Gibraltar’s banner and as soon as they had some cover Crypto was already controlling his drone to assist their fallen teammate. 

Bangalore was watching for movement from behind a rock when three sniper shots from the mouth of the cave turned Crypto into a deathbox. 

“Shi-” The soldier’s curse warped into a growl as Wraith materialised behind her, piercing her sides with a Mozambique but Bangalore fired a smoke grenade directly at the Voidwalker. The Skirmisher stumbled as the canister hit its mark on her chest and Bangalore burst through the smoke to deliver a fierce kick that pushed Wraith back into the portal she had summoned. The soldier tossed an Arc Star into the void to give Wraith something to think about on the other end. 

However as she turned she was met with two sets of gun fire but only one of them made the grass come closer. 

“Hey Bloodhound leave this to me. Go see if Wraith is alright,” A familiar voice spoke nearby and Bangalore grimaced as she focused on Lifeline standing on top of the rock.

“Down on your knees Bangalore?” If her side wasn’t full of bullets, the soldier would have laughed. 

“Th...that’s my line,” Lifeline jumped from her vantage point and slid until she was in front of Bangalore. 

“Oh Sugar, look at you,” Lifeline whispered as she turned the wounded soldier onto her back and linked her up to D.O.C. 

“Lifeline what are you doing?” Bangalore questioned as she looked up into Ajay’s eyes, the pain was easing off. 

“Ajay Che is coming through for you Sugar,” Ajay leaned forward and kissed her. Bangalore could taste the sweat and smoke from her grenades on the combat medic. 

“I’ll come find you after the games,” With that Bangalore was watching Lifeline run away from her again but this time there was no pain, only warmth. 

Ajay cheered and pulled Wraith and Bloodhound in for a group hug for their champion pictures. Neither of her teammates had commented when Bangalore had reappeared in another firefight with them, fully healed. Instead Wraith had sought the soldier out, muttering something about getting her back over an Arc Star. It had been some time since she had taken up the champion’s podium and it felt good. Ajay basked in the photographs, gave charming but short interviews and celebrated with her squad just late enough until it wasn’t rude to disappear from the limelight. 

There was only one place she wanted to be...but it was late.

_ ‘Can I come over?’  _ Ajay bit her lip as she waited for a response, it was quite possible Anita was already asleep but Ajay was itching to see the soldier, to make sure she was ok. 

_ ‘Come through Champion Che,’  _ Ajay danced in excitement in the lift and only a few moments later she was knocking at the soldier’s door. It felt like an age when Anita opened the door when in reality it had been a couple of seconds. 

“Aja-hey there!” Anita laughed as the combat medic jumped into her arms, squeezing her close. Anita shuffled them both into her apartment as Ajay refused to let go of her midriff. 

“I thought you’d be out celebrating your win Champion Che? It’s still early.” Anita spoke as she embraced the smaller woman against her, secretly pleased Ajay had indeed come to find her after the games. 

“I am celebrating. Oh, no I mean I’m happy being here with you, I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to. I just really wanted to see you. You did really great making top 3, even after we ruined your squad...” The words tumbled out of Ajay’s mouth as her brain struggled to keep her excitement from overstepping her soldier’s boundaries. They had been messaging and sneaking kisses here and there over the last week as they prepared for the games but the combat medic didn’t want to assume anything. Anita’s chuckle centred Ajay’s thoughts and she laughed nervously. 

“Sorry I’m talking a lot…”

“Dr Che you are absolutely adorable, do you know that?” Anita leaned in and Ajay pushed up into the kiss eagerly. They stayed connected in the hallway, relaxing into each other until Anita separated them this time and she cleared her throat.

“Uh...my bedroom is that way if you wanted to...celebrate some more?”

“Now who’s adorable ‘Nita Williams? I want to but only if you’re sure?” 

“I’m sure Ajay.” The soldier nodded and Ajay searched Anita’s face for any doubt but found none. 

“Then I’m yours ‘Nita,” Ajay surrendered into the next series of kisses and snaked her arms around her soldier, her body shuddering in anticipation. Anita’s hands traced her back and down over her ass and lifted the medic up. Ajay moaned into the soldier's mouth and wrapped her legs around her waist, a fresh wave of desire pulsed between her legs at the show of strength. Anita walked them to her bed and carefully laid the medic on her back before crawling on top of her and situating herself in between Ajay’s legs. 

“Fuck ‘Nita,” Ajay moaned into the soldier’s ear as her partner rocked their hips together creating the friction Ajay had been craving. Clothes were shed revealing burning skin, scarred bodies and tensing muscles. Ajay gasped with every roll of Anita’s hips against hers, the slick pleasure was intoxicating and the groans from above were hypnotising. 

Ajay palmed both of Anita’s breasts and took an erect nipple in her mouth, sucking and grazing it with her teeth. 

“Ajay,” Anita growled before biting the crook of neck, the pain had the medic moaning, she wanted to drive her soldier crazy for her but Anita was making it hard to concentrate as the weight of her muscled body pinning her to the bed was delicious. 

“‘Nita I’m so wet for you, don’t you want to taste how ready I am for you?” Anita moaned as she broke away from Ajay’s skin and bucked her hips roughly at the invitation. The medic bit her lip as Anita moved to play with her breasts now, licking and pulling at the sensitive skin with her hot mouth but it wasn’t where Ajay wanted attention. 

“I thought you said you were good at following orders...oh,” Anita dragged her nails over Ajay’s hip point and stopped just a touch away from her crying centre. 

“I am great at following orders, but this is my time and I’ll fuck you when I’m ready.” Anita’s tone was firm and Ajay whined, as another shot of desire pierced through her. Anita was commanding in bed and it was going to make Ajay’s turn all the more satisfying. The combat medic steeled herself by digging her nails into her soldier’s shoulders as she kissed her way lower, the hand by Ajay’s lower lips was teasing the hair and occasionally testing her heat. 

“‘Nita please, I need you,” fingers dipped into her entrance and Ajay gasped in delight and noted begging worked on the soldier. Anita swore as she pumped slowly into the champion. 

“Ajay you’re so hot, fuck,” Anita moaned as she watched how easily her fingers slid in and out of Ajay. 

“It’s, it’s all for you Sugar,” Ajay was breathless and the way Anita was moving inside of her caused a bubble of pressure to build up. The medic whimpered as she caught Anita’s eyes as she finally put that frustrating mouth to good use and licked between her folds. 

Ajay cried out, body curling up as Anita lapped at her clit and her fingers worked wonders inside the medic. Damn it, she wanted it to last but her body was weak against the pleasure she had been holding off on and her orgasm rippled through her. However Ajay hooked onto those curls and held the soldier and rocked against her mouth until the combat medic hit another peak. 

“Fuck ‘Nita,” Ajay groaned as she fell back on the bed, pleasure humming through her body and into her head, clearing all thoughts other than the warmth Anita brought her. Anita kissed trembling thighs and wiped her mouth on the sheets before lying next to her medic, content to take in the view. 

“You’re beautiful,” Anita whispered and they kissed but only for a second because Ajay was ready for her turn. She maneuvered them so that she was straddling Anita. 

“Don’t think being cute is going to make me take it easy on you,  _ Sugar _ ,” Ajay cooed sweetly stroking Anita’s face. 

“I’m going to fuck you when  _ I’m _ ready.” Anita’s eyes flashed in excitement as Ajay used her own words against her. 

“I’m yours Ajay,” The medic almost faltered at the soft tone, Anita was really going to submit to her, some part of Ajay felt as though she shouldn’t be given that must trust but she pushed it aside. The combat medic would work hard to prove she was worthy of the soldier’s utmost trust. 

“Make as much noise as you like but no touching, think you can handle that soldier girl?” Ajay instructed. 

“Yes ma’am,” Anita affirmed with a charming smile and Ajay leaned down to kiss her softly. 

“Who gave you permission to be so damn fine, hmm?” Ajay ground her hips into Anita, mimicking the soldier’s movement but hummed in approval as Anita moaned. 

Ajay sat back up and surveyed the landscape, Anita was looking up at her with half lidded eyes, her hands were lightly holding onto the bed sheets, her breasts dark with arousal and Ajay was pleased to see a hint of her previous affections marking the smooth skin. The medic dragged her nails over Anita’s abs, over pert nipples and down toned hips. An idea popped into the medic’s head and Ajay began by capturing Anita’s lips again, biting and pulling at the soft skin. 

The soldier groaned as Ajay continued her exploration by licking up the side of Anita’s neck, across her collarbone, back over the valley of her breasts, where she stopped to suckle on aching nipples. 

“Ajay,” Anita moaned, her body was impossibly hot with desire and with the tension of not touching the seductive woman above her. The soldier was sure something would burst if Ajay’s tongue didn’t move further than her abs. Her fingers twitched against the sheets and Anita cursed as it didn’t go unnoticed by her lover. 

“Struggling ‘Nita Williams?” 

“N, no,” Anita stammered as Ajay sat back up and rolled her hips into her aching pelvis. 

“There’s a good girl ‘Nita. I’d hate to stop because you disobeyed an order,” Anita whimpered and scrunched her eyes closed. The mixture of praise with false control was exhilarating and more than she had dreamt of. 

“Now, look at me Sugar,” Anita took a breath and took in Ajay, the sexual confidence was arousing and definitely suggested it was not the medic’s first time in this role. However something in Anita wanted to make sure Ajay didn’t use her skills on anyone else. 

“You’re so good Sugar,” Ajay praised again, “I think you deserve a reward.” Anita sucked in a breath as she watched Ajay trail her hand down her own body, between her own folds and  _ moaned _ . 

“Fuck, please Ajay, let me touch you again,” Anita pleaded in desperation, her body shuddering with ecstasy as Ajay pleasured herself.

“Oh ‘Nita, you feel so good, don’t give in now. I’m close.” Anita growled and clutched the sheets harder as she could feel Ajay’s heat spill onto her leg. The medic sighed happily, her soldier was doing so well and even though she was having fun building herself back up, she was only doing it to tease Anita. Ajay removed her fingers from her core and used her thumb to swipe over the soldier’s coated clitoris. 

Anita cried out in surprise and Ajay finally relented by dipping her tongue into the soldier’s hot pool. Everything about this moment was delicious, the loud moans, the taste and the feeling of Anita’s body snapping as her orgasm overwhelmed her and it was all because of Ajay. 

Anita was breathing hard but was focussed enough to watch as Ajay cuddled into her side, smiling. 

“Fuck.” 

“Again?” Ajay laughed as Anita groaned in protest.

“Later. Sleep now.” 

“Seems fair ‘Nita but tell me, compared to your fans I’m much better right?” Ajay was feeling just a touch smug at how spent Anita was and just wanted to end the night right. 

“You don’t compare,” Anita spoke, staring at the medic. Ajay opened her mouth ready to fight the soldier but she held a hand up telling her to wait. 

“Because you’re a Legend.” Ajay snorted but settled against Anita, her feelings satisfied with the answer. 

“Now who’s cheesy?”

“Shh sleep now.” They kissed softly and drifted off. Sleep for once, welcomed Ajay as her pressure points had been soothed for now and with the dozing soldier next to her, maybe her next set wouldn’t be as difficult to navigate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay all the cheese! I hope the last chapter was a satisfying round up to this story! I have another idea for my next fic but I'll be exploring some other pairings too. Hopefully I'll see you there but until then thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, any and all feedback is appreciated! Stay Safe, Stay Home and Stay Sane! - Dark_Shadows_01


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